by Lee Kilraine
“Your body is a work of art.” Leaning forward, she feathered kisses over his chest, slow, moist kisses, adding swipes of her tongue and a light bite or two with her teeth. She took her time blazing a trail, eventually meandering first up his neck before backtracking down across his chest again. She pushed him back flat on the mattress, his feet still on the floor as she worked her way down…down over the ridges in his abdomen until she reached the waistband of his jeans.
When her hands moved to the snap, he stopped her.
“I’m afraid your time is up.” His eyes looked more green than hazel, as his heavy lidded eyes glimmered with arousal. “Your shirt needs to come off. I’m happy to help.”
Oh, Nora didn’t need any help. She whipped her shirt off and tossed it off to the side leaving her in her athletic bra.
“The jeans have to go too. Right now.” His voice scraped out raw and sexy, his gaze fierce and demanding.
“Yes, sir, Officer Savage.” She stood and slid her jeans down and off her legs. She’d spent too many years at the beach and on volleyball courts in skimpy bikinis to be shy. Besides, as a tall girl, she’d had to learn to own it. Every tall inch and limb of herself. Plus there was no way she was going to waste a single second of the flash of desire flaring in his eyes and across his face.
“I have a confession.” Hawk swallowed, his gaze making the trip up and down her body, but taking a long detour over her legs. “I watched you in the Olympics two years ago, and I had highly inappropriate thoughts about you and your legs. Possibly downright dirty.”
She went lightheaded with his words because no man had ever made her feel what he did. Not now and not at seventeen.
“I have a confession too.” She pulled her bra off over her head and straddled his legs again, wearing only her panties. “I had inappropriate thoughts about you while you were sick with the flu. Absolutely dirty, naughty, filthy thoughts of you and me. And I aim to try every one tonight.”
“Damn, Nora.” Hawk growled as he grabbed her, rolling her onto her back and under him. “Merry Christmas to me.”
Nora’s brain shut off as Hawk worked his way down her body and through his list of highly inappropriate thoughts. All she could do was feel. And moan, and tremble, and quiver with pleasure. He took her so high her breath struggled again in the rarefied air. His hands stroked, his tongue dipped and swirled, and his mouth and lips teased and tasted with greedy, decadent appetite.
She gave Hawk the same reckless pleasure he gave her. After pushing him back against the mattress and wresting back control, she ran her hands over the contours of his muscled form. She rained kisses across his skin, mapping his body with her lips and tongue, every hard inch of him. It was his turn to pant and moan and shudder.
He grabbed protection and then her, rolling her under him, running open-mouthed kisses along her neck. His voice scraped out rough and gravelly against her skin, sharp with need. “Now, Nora. I need you now.”
“Yes.” She held his gaze with her own as they joined and the turbulent vortex of primal desire and heat suddenly stalled. Time stopped like a freeze-frame in an instant replay, their breaths suspended as the past and present collided.
Hawk’s eyes closed and his head fell forward, his body steely against her as the aching tension built. Then his chest expanded and she heard him haul in a lungful of air. When he opened his eyes, the passion in them hit her like a jolt. Molding his body even closer, he wrapped one hand around her jaw, lifted her face to his, and kissed her. A hot, wet, hungry kiss that reignited the tempest.
It was a wild ride of wanton pleasure and sensual satisfaction. A sharing of vulnerabilities and trust. It was everything Nora’s seventeen-year-old self could have dreamed of, and nothing like her thirty-one-year-old self had ever felt before.
“Wow.” She lay draped across his muscled chest recovering.
“Yeah?” Hawk ran a hand down her back and over her ass.
“Oh yeah. All the bells and whistles.” Throw in sparklers, fireworks, and dynamite too. It had been exquisite. Nora could only hope that having this new perfect memory tucked into her heart would make it easier when she sorted out her life and had to say goodbye to Hawk and his kids.
Chapter Eleven
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
“It’s so quiet without the kids.” Nora shivered in the chilly air and snuggled down farther under the covers.
Hawk pressed up against her back, wrapping his arm around her waist and sharing his heat. He managed to stop focusing on the sexy woman in his arms long enough to realize something was off. “Too quiet.”
“Yeah. They’re fun to hang out with.”
Sitting up, he turned with a half smile and raised eyebrows. Man, he liked how much she liked his kids, even if the thought of Nora and HL with their similar type-A personalities together was slightly frightening. He leaned down, arms braced on either side of her, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “No. I mean I think the power’s off. I’ll go check. Be right back.”
He slid on his jeans and moved toward the kitchen. The cold house made it obvious, but also the silence. The heat pump wasn’t kicking on, the refrigerator wasn’t humming, and the kids’ fish tank wasn’t bubbling. One peek out the kitchen window confirmed the ice storm had arrived early. Soft moonlight reflected off the frozen world outside.
Grabbing his phone, he saw Georgie had already texted. Kids were fine. She’d drop them off as soon as the ice melted. Worked for him. He was on the phone with Quinn at the station, and did a double take when Nora walked in wearing his flannel shirt—and nothing else by the looks of it.
Her legs were going to give him a heart attack. Especially when he remembered them wrapped around his waist. Damn. He watched Nora move as Quinn relayed that the utility company was already working and had estimated they’d have the power restored before noon. They had a few hours to themselves and Hawk knew exactly how he wanted to spend them. He quickly ended his call. “Sounds good. I’ll check in later.”
“I guess the ice storm hit a little early.” Nora stood squinting out the window. “It’s beautiful. A shimmering ice sculpture.”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Enjoy it. It’ll all be gone in a few hours. It’s supposed to rain soon and get up over fifty degrees by noon.”
“Are Georgie and the kids okay? Should we try to go get them?”
“Georgie’s going to drop the kids off when the ice melts.” Pushing her hair to the side, he ran kisses along her neck. “Which means we’ve got a few more hours. I know what I’d like to do.”
Her pulse picked up under his lips. “You don’t have to go anywhere?”
“I didn’t say that.” He slid one hand under the shirt, up her thigh, over her hip, and up her muscled stomach.
“I need to go back to bed and make love to you.” Her breath caught when he found her breast with his other hand, cupping it gently. “I could get used to seeing you wearing my shirts.”
“Well, that’s convenient.…” She spun around in his arms, running her hands slowly over his bare chest, up across his shoulders, and down to his biceps. Each stroke left a trail of fire that led straight to his groin. “…because I could get used to seeing you out of your shirt.”
Leaning forward, she kissed his chest, her lips soft against his skin. His muscles tensed under the magic touch of her fingertips. When her hand strayed lower, he groaned and lost control. He picked her up and backed them up against the wall.
“Change of plans. We’re not going to make it back to bed anytime soon.”
They did make it back to bed eventually. And into the shower after that. A long shower. By the time they were dressed and back in the kitchen, the rain had begun to fall outside. Hawk knew the ice storm had been a gift in disguise, since it bought him extra time with Nora.
He hadn’t enjoyed a woman’s company at length like this in a lon
g, long time. After Holly’s death, he’d been celibate for three years. His pain had been too great to even think about being with another woman. Eventually, as his heart recovered slowly, his physical needs resurfaced. At first, it was purely the need for a release. Pure sexual release. And even then he tried to go without as long as he could.
For a man who’d loved deeply, the sex act by itself was a hollow thing. Sex was easy enough to find, but no matter how hot the sex, it didn’t touch the empty space in his chest. A heavy, sharp reminder of what he’d lost.
Two years ago he began craving all those things he’d loved about a committed relationship. Shared laughter and confidences. The feeling of knowing someone had your back. He missed making love with a woman he trusted. He missed being with a woman he knew so well, the slightest change in her mood and nuance of her facial expression.
Twice in the last two years, he’d thought, maybe, he’d found a woman that he could think about taking the relationship further. And maybe if he only had himself to consider, he might have. But his children would always be his first priority. A man became pretty expert in reading between the lines of what a woman said versus how she actually felt about children. His children. And any woman who didn’t try to like or understand his kids made him put the brakes on fast.
Hell, yes, he’d set the bar high, but he wasn’t willing to short-change his kids. He’d rather stay single and celibate than do that. But these days with Nora gave him hope that maybe, with time, he might have found what he’d been searching for.
The power was still off, so they sat in the kitchen eating bowls of HL’s Lucky Charms.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up dating a guy stupid enough to cheat on you?”
She stifled a bark of laughter and smiled over at him. “Thank you. To tell you the truth, now that I’ve had some distance and time, I can see it wasn’t all his fault. In retrospect, I think I moved in with Eric in part to get away from my mom. That’s a bad reason to move in with someone, and not fair to him. The last six months we were more like roommates. So, while I don’t appreciate the cheating, I get it.”
“I’m conflicted. I want to tell you I’m sorry you went through that.” He glanced over at her, catching her eyes knowing she’d be able to see he wasn’t that conflicted. It felt like a damn lucky break. “But if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be sitting here in my kitchen.”
“Excellent point. I think I’ll forgive Eric. But Beth? No. Her betrayal hurt more than the cheating.”
“Beth Ross, your teammate?”
“None other. That’s the part I can’t forgive. Who does that to a best friend?”
“That’s tough.”
“It gets tougher. She hired my mom as her manager.”
“I thought she was your manager.”
“She was.”
“So your teammate cheated with your boyfriend and stole your mom as a manager? She sounds like a stone cold bitch.”
“Looks like it.” She smiled and scooped up her last pieces of cereal, a spoonful of green marshmallow clovers she’d saved until the end.
“Then why are you grinning?”
“Because my mother’s a terrible manager. The day I walked in on Beth and Eric was the same day I found out my mom not only blew through all my endorsement money, but she maxed out my credit cards too. Beth is welcome to her.”
“You really have had a rough couple of weeks. Will you get a new partner heading into the next Olympics or will you have to play with her?”
“I don’t know yet.” She turned her face away again. “Because the same day I walked in on Eric and Beth, the same day my mom told me she was leaving me with a mess of maxed out credit cards to go work for Beth, was also the same day I found out I might lose my spot on the National team.”
“Well, hell.”
“I know. It sucks, which I know from talking with your kids is an expression you hate, but like I told your children, sometimes it just does. So if you hear them use that phrase, it’s my fault. And I’m sorry.”
Hawk really wasn’t. Because it was possible that Nora’s openness and honesty was exactly what Henry Lee and Heather needed. Someone who didn’t pity them or treat them with kid gloves. Someone who called it as she saw it with the firm belief they could handle it.
“Anyhow, part of this time away was to decide if I want to keep playing. I’d need to get some scar tissue removed from my shoulder and then another round of intensive therapy to even have a shot at the team. Plus find a new partner.”
“What would you do if you decide not to keep playing?” Stay in Climax? He was surprised by how much he wanted to hear those words come out of her mouth.
“I’ve made a few calls about possible coaching positions.” She shrugged and cleared her bowl over to the sink. “But I honestly haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet.”
His chest hurt until he realized he’d pulled in a breath and forgotten to release it. So either way she was leaving? It sucked for him, but what bothered him most was that the Nora he’d known in high school had never quit anything. Neither did the Nora he’d seen in tense volleyball matches on TV. Maybe she needed more time.
He took his own bowl to the sink, reaching past her to set it in. Turning her around to face him, he brought her close into his arms. “You don’t need to decide before Christmas, do you?”
“No. I have a bit more time to think it over. To figure out what I want to do.” She tilted her head back and gazed up into his face, her green eyes hot on his. “But I don’t want to think about it right now. And when you kiss me, I can’t think at all. So…”
“Well, I’ve sworn to serve…” He cradled her face in his hands. “So I’m happy to oblige.” But he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he put everything he had into the kiss, on the slim chance he could convince her to think about staying in Climax.
They were locked in the kiss, in their own private world, when Georgie walked in with the children.
“Daddy! You were kissing Nor—” Georgie placed a gentle hand over HL’s mouth.
“Goodness, no!” Nora’s cheeks flushed the prettiest pink as she nonchalantly took a wide step away from him. “Your daddy was…teaching me CPR. Right? Everyone should know CPR, isn’t that right, Hawk?”
Georgie sputtered and Hawk raised an eyebrow at Nora. His kids may be innocent, but they weren’t dumb. One look over at his daughter told him Heather didn’t buy it for a minute.
“Yes, HL. I was kissing Nora.” Hawk cleared his throat. When Heather’s face went stiff and she pulled inward, wrapping her arms around herself, he wondered if Nora’s CPR answer had been the way to go after all. Well, no going back now.
“Because you like her?” HL asked, looking from Nora to Hawk.
“Yes, because I like her.”
HL’s eyes opened wide. “Are you going to be our new mom?”
Nora shook her head in quick denial.
“Whoa! Not so fast, HL! No one said anything about marriage.” Hawk jumped in. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Nora off. Or upset Heather. One glance at Nora’s frowning face as she watched Heather walk stiffly from the room told him it was probably too late for that.
Chapter Twelve
Sleigh Ride
Later that evening, the Annual Light Up Climax competition went ahead as scheduled thanks to the power being restored with only minutes to spare. When the electricity wasn’t back by noon as first promised, poor HL was beside himself with worry.
Hawk took him off to pick up some dry ice to keep the food in the fridge from spoiling. That had HL close to tears, remembering that the last time dry ice was needed the power had been out three days. Nora tried to distract him by having him help her cook a pizza on the grill while she prayed to the power gods. Thank goodness someone was listening.
Relief rushed through Nora as she watched HL j
ump with excitement from one foot to the other. Thank goodness. She’d felt queasy a few hours ago when the light competition was in jeopardy. Because Nora knew her own naturally competitive personality had spooled HL up. They’d both gotten carried away, but come on, HL was eight. He was allowed to get carried away with the magic of Christmas. Nora, on the other hand, was supposed to be the calm, responsible adult. The one who pointed out the true meaning of Christmas. Except—why bother to have a light competition if you didn’t try to win?
The event was so crowded it seemed as if half of Climax showed up in the park at the center of town. The Ladies’ Historical Society served hot chocolate. The Christmas cookie competition was set up inside the large gazebo, making it easy to walk around the circle and sample all the entries before voting.
“Here come the sleigh rides!” HL’s giddy squeal joined all the other kids’ loud excitement. The “sleighs” were actually horse-drawn hay wagons driven by some of the local farmers. Each wagon held about thirty people. Since most of the older generation stayed in the gazebo sampling cookies, it left plenty of room on the wagons for families with young children.
The wagons took a leisurely circuit through the streets of Climax enjoying all the Christmas lights, making sure to stop before each house entered in the decorating contest in order to give the town council time to vote. HL made sure his family got into the first wagon. He wanted to be front and center.
Hawk sat next to Nora for the hour excursion, his hard body something to anchor herself to as the wagon swayed around corners. HL sat in the front with his friend, Jordy, and Heather sat on Hawk’s other side. The mild night made the ride pass quickly as everyone oohed and aahed over each light display.